(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Senator Panfilo Lacson wants the Senate to place Mark Taguba under its protective custody to ensure his safety because he has in his possession a 'blue book that contains the names of people whom he allegedly bribed to facilitate his shipments.
Lacson yesterday said Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, removed the protective custody granted to Taguba, the panel's witness to the smuggling of P6.4bn shabu from China.
Lacson said Taguba is in the process of 'consolidating the facts in his blue book. 'Hopefully, he'll be able to testify on this on Monday, he said.
The Senate is set to conduct on Sept 11 its eighth public hearing on the smuggling of shabu as well as the 'tara (payoff) system at the Bureau of Customs (BoC).
'On Monday I intend to talk to the committee to restore the protective custody granted to him by the Senate. It was revoked, Lacson said in a radio interview.
'Before this week's hearing, he mentioned Davao Group extensively during the questioning of (Sen.Antonio) Trillanes. He was surprised that after that hearing, his protective custody was recalled, he said.
Gordon admitted that he recalled the security detail assigned to Taguba.
'He does not need any protection anymore. They are rich. His father was a former policeman, Gordon said.
But Lacson said he wants to know the details leading to the lifting of Taguba's protective custody.
'I'd like to know the flow of communication on the day his protective custody was recalled because it tells a lot. When the Davao Group was mentioned, why was it suddenly revoked? I'm not accusing anybody especially they are my colleagues. But I want some clarification, Lacson said.
MENAFN0909201700670000ID1095839370
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.